FASTRAK looking to split touring regions, cut back on multiple tour dates at tracks

The time is getting close that the FASTRAK Pro Late Model Management team needs to start taking a good luck at the touring regions and their perspective schedules. Maybe it's time to do two totally separate tours, or look at limiting tracks to one touring event per season.

"We are truly blessed to be in our current situation" stated Stan Lester of the series. "think about it. How many series are in the position of having too many races and it seems as if that time is coming quickly? I am so grateful for the tracks that have seen us through a lot of growing pains over the last 15 years and they will continue to be our first priority".

"It has always been Stans idea of 15-20 races max" said DJ Irvine of FASTRAK. "He said he does not want to make Pro Late Model teams run 25-30 events a year, that it's too many for non professional teams, plus after a point it starts taking away from our local sanctioned speedways. Those are all things we have to balance carefully. We are very fortunate that most of our schedule is set year after year. Obviously the tracks are making money from our events or that would not be the case. Going into my second season with the company, I was honestly surprised in looking at our Touring schedule most of it has been the same tracks on the same dates year after year. Thats pretty special and even more so since we are not a super late model series".

FASTRAK has worked with many speedways in building what they refer to as "staple events". Events the teams can depend on, the fans can depend on and the tracks can make a profit and continue to build that event year after year. "I've heard Stan say this even in my short time with the company" said Irvine, "but now it's really beginning to make sense".

The Triple Crown, the East Coast Rumble, The Moonshine 50, the World Challenge, The World Championship and others have become not only "staple events" but profitable events for those speedways involved and many of which have been ongoing for as many as 14 years now. "One thing I was told as soon as I came to work for the company said Irvine. "Call the track on Tuesday and see if they made money or not. Not how much they made but did it make a profit? Thats one thing our owner does not take no for an answer on" stated Irvine.

FASTRAK stepped it up once again in 2018 by introducing a new "co op advertising program" with a two page spread in each single issue of Dirt Late Model magazine in 2018. "I've never heard of a co-op ad program for dirt racing" stated Irvine.

They started the 2018 season with thanks to the sponsors and speedways on the left hand side with all the many champions of FASTRAK and it's sister companies of the ULTIMATE series on the right side of the page. Starting in January all FASTRAK events of $5000 and up are listed on the left hand side of the page as are $10,000 to win and up ULTIMATE events, with all the races of all 6 Regions listed on the right hand side of the page color coded to their regional logos and the season ending with a "NASCAR style National Awards banquet.

In addition FASTRAK/ULTIMATE also designs, prints and sends to all event tracks posters, fliers, facebook ads and of course the new "Co Op" add program. For a Regional Touring series it sure seems that FASTRAK and ULTIMATE are doing more than their part of making their events a success.

On top of all the good things that seem to truly be exploding in both of those series, an announcement was made at the National Awards Banquet last weekend that the 2019 FASTRAK World Championship would pay out the richest purse in Chevrolet Performance dirt late model racing history of $50,000 to win and $2025 to start with over $158,000 in purse money that one night alone. Wow is about all that can be said at this point. What's next?